Pattern attraction

Don't be scared to be daring in a small space: Injecting whimsical elements, including wallpaper and bright pillows, creates interest

Here's a photo with some patterned United Kingdom inspiration for you. The collection of fabric and wallpaper is called Delphine from Harlequin and is available through designers at Télio (telio.com).

Photograph by: Delphine from Harlequin
, Courtesy of Télio

Dear Sam,

I've lived in my small condo for the past two years and haven't decorated. My living room is quite nice as I have an exposed concrete wall. I have a plain grey sofa and modern furniture. I just came back from spending two weeks in London and now I want different patterns everywhere. I'd like to have wallpaper or strong colour and curtains with flowers. My friend in design school says that my condo will feel small and busy if I follow through with my plan. But I'm bored with the bland - will I be making a mistake?

Thanks!

Bailey

Dear Bailey,

Someone recently told me that the Brits like pattern because it livens up their homes on rainy days. Your friend has a point; there is something clean and serene about living in an all-white space. In the height of my magazine styling days, I decided that white walls were the only way to soothe my overly stimulated senses. My home was void of bric-à-brac and felt like you were walking through a snowball. Every wall, cabinet and sofa was white. Even the plants in my garden were white. For you it was London; for me it was a magazine called Domino that was filled with tiny New York interiors in every colour and pattern that made me long for a pulse, heartbeat or some sign of life in my home. The Domino editors believed in happy and personalized homes. There was even a regular column where they would take a vivid and layered girl-about-town's outfit and turn it into a room. If you can get your hands on a copy of Domino: The Book of Decorating or some back issues of the magazine, they will help you pull your space together (I hear it's coming back on a special-issue basis). When it comes to your home, the key is that your personality needs to shine through, not mine and not your friend's.

Here is where I'd normally be cautious and say, start small and add a pillow to your sofa, continuing to slowly introduce more colour and pattern. But you know what you want, so I say: goodbye caution, hello decorating with abandon. Ahem, let me clarify that I mean planned abandon not reckless abandon. Here's a photo with some patterned United Kingdom inspiration for you. The collection of fabric and wallpaper is called Delphine from Harlequin and is available through designers at Télio (telio.com). The Harlequin peeps have designed a room that's a healthy balance of clean mod lines, pattern and colour. The patterned draperies make a big statement, but are also a big investment. Be sure to pick a drapery fabric you love and can live with for a few years, knowing that if you tire of them in the living room, you can always move them to the bedroom. Notice Harlequin's trick of using the same pattern in different colourways for the wallpaper and window treatments. While the patterned drapery packs a vibrant punch, the soft grey-beige of the wallpaper is understated and livable. The same greige of the Harlequin wallpaper would work well with your concrete wall and sofa. However, my vote is to cover that concrete completely with wallpaper. I know that modernists everywhere are gasping! But there is something about a concrete wall that's cold and dreary. And, you Bailey, are craving fun and personality.

The drapery fabric is also used for the sofa pillows, keeping the room looking pulled together and not a random jumbled mess. While the colourful chartreuse leaf patterned pillows are totally unexpected. From here, you could add one or two more colours, and many more patterns. Avoid using more than three or four bold colours or you'll risk crossing in to circus carnival territory. For more great Brit inspiration take a peak at Haymarket hotel (firmdale.com/london/haymarket-hotel) and Designer's Guild (designersguild.com).

Be bold, bright, and fearless. Happy decorating, Sam

The Harlequin collection at Télio strikes a balance between clean-and-mod and bright-and-fearless.

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

Househunting Newsletter

Receive the latest in real estate news, decorating and renovating tips every two weeks in the househunting.ca newsletter.